Pānui

Media Statement: For Immediate Release 31 May 2016

Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa, the New Zealand Māori Law Society joins the call by te reo Māori advocates such as Will Edwards of Te Reo o Taranaki, for all New Zealanders to consider their pronunciation of te reo Māori, in particular Māori place names.[1] Aidan Warren, Tumuaki Tane of Te Hunga Rōia Māori notes that “te reo Māori must be honoured in the way that it is spoken and that the pronunciation of place names is a practical way of ensuring that respect. There are numerous resources that can assist people to improve their pronunciation skills from YouTube tutorials to local Māori te reo initiatives run by local Māori in the community.”

Rachel Mullins, Tumuaki Wahine also notes that “complacency or reverting to anglicized versions of place names is no longer acceptable among the general population. Te reo Māori is now more regularly used within the legal environment and in April of this year, Te Pire Mo Te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Act) was passed making it timely for us all to be proactive in improving how we use te reo Māori.”

Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa is a national Māori body whose membership includes Māori members of the judiciary, members of parliament, legal practitioners, legal academics, public servants and law students. Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa focuses on strengthening networks amongst its membership, making submissions on a range of policies and proposed legislation, ensuring representation of its membership on various legal committees and holding an annual national hui.